Made in Los Angeles

Materials, Processes, and the Birth of West Coast Minimalism

"In the 1960s, a group of Los Angeles artists fashioned a body of work that has come to be known as the "LA Look" or West Coast Minimalism. Its distinct aesthetic is characterized by clean lines, simple shapes, and pristine reflective or translucent surfaces, and often by the use of bright, seductive colors. This volume, the first to provide a detailed study of the role of materials and processes in the advent of these truly indigenous Los Angeles art forms, focuses on four pioneering artists whose approach, often borrowed from other industries, featured the use of synthetic paints and resins as well as industrial processes to create objects that are both painting and sculpture. The author uses the methods of technical art history to inform her investigation of conservation issues associated with their work, thereby illuminating challenges facing the conservation of contemporary art in general."--Page 4 of cover.